At the quarterly Barkley Neighborhood Association meeting Nov. 11, Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Commission representative Jim Brennan, informed attendees that all streetlights in Bellingham will be switched to energy-efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the next two years.
"Some of the street lights in Bellingham are hardly any help at all," Brennan said. "Even though they're on, it's still dim and hard to see."
The switch to LED should create a safer place for citizens and students, Brennan said. Places such as the Western Washington University 'C Lot' have fallen victim to poor lighting, something that LED lights should help eliminate, Brennan said.
Residential LEDs use about 75 percent less energy, and last 25-times longer compared to incandescent lighting, according to Energy Saver, the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer resource on saving energy and using renewable energy technologies.
LEDs could make a significant difference for the community and benefit the city, Brennan said.
"Think about what this switch could mean for Bellingham's carbon emissions," Brennan said. "The city will save so much money by converting."
Back in March, conversion work began in the Seattle area arterial roadways, according to Seattle City Light; converting all arterial roadway lights is expected to take two to three years. For Seattle, the switch to LEDs means 48 to 62 percent lower energy consumption and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
What could this mean for the Barkley neighborhood?
As one of the most populated neighborhoods in Bellingham, converting all streetlights to LEDs will make the neighborhood a safer place for its community.
"It will make it less dangerous for people to walk at night and cross the street," Brennan said. "In an area that has cars moving through it all the time, having LED streetlights will illuminate the area and make it safer for pedestrians."
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